Supergirl season 4 episode 3 live stream: Watch online

As the (interplanetary) immigration debate heats up in National City, Supergirl acquires newfound urgency. Here’s what to expect from tonight’s episode.

Now, that’s more like it. The scattershot second and third seasons of Supergirl had us wondering whether the show would ever rediscover its original magic. But after a pair of strong episodes to start season 4, we’re starting to hope again. In fact, if those episodes are any indication, the show might be setting up its most compelling arc to date.

Politics are the key. While Supergirl has always been open about its ideological aims, perhaps by necessity given its status as the Arrowverse’s first female-led series, it tended to relegate politics to metaphors and platitudes. As a result, there was a weightless quality to its appeals for equality, justice, and compassion. In season 4, subtext has become text, as Kara and the DEO reckon with the mounting anti-alien sentiment in National City. Last week’s episode, “Fallout,” culminated in an incendiary speech about the threat posed by aliens that felt terrifyingly immediate, building on rather than exploiting real-world events.

This week’s episode, titled “Man of Steel,” looks to elaborate on that moment. You can read the official synopsis below:

"Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) didn’t always hate aliens. Through a series of incidents, and input from his anti-alien father (guest star Xander Berkeley), Ben slowly transforms from a mild-mannered professor into the villainous Agent Liberty of today."

Not since season 1’s Maxwell Lord has Supergirl had a truly compelling long-term antagonist. It remains to be seen how the season plays out, but Agent Liberty is a promising candidate to break that trend. In contrast to previous villains like Non and Reign, the xenophobic militant is driven not by a need to rule or destroy the world but by specific political concerns. His humanity makes him more, rather than less, scary. (To be fair, the mask helps.)

That said, villain origin stories are tricky things. Too shallow, and they deprive the villain of any nuance; too in-depth, and they deprive the villain of mystery. But maybe this is what the show’s villains have been missing. At any rate, we’re always interested in episodes that deviate from the conventional A/B/C-plot structure.

Jesse Warn directs from a script by Rob Wright and Derek Simon.

"Date: Sunday, Oct. 28Start time: 8 p.m. ESTEpisode: “Man of Steel”TV Channel: The CWLive Stream: Watch live on Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can also watch on The CW website or app."

Supergirl airs Sundays as part of The CW’s Sunday night lineup.